'Hustle culture comes with a cost; choice is yours': 25-yr-old entrepreneur on his pic from hospital

In a world that glorifies the relentless grind of entrepreneurship, the harsh realities of "hustle culture" are often left unspoken.

For many young entrepreneurs, the pressure to succeed quickly and continuously can lead to compromising essential aspects of well-being—like sleep, diet, and mental health.

Kritarth Mittal, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Mumbai, recently experienced firsthand the toll this culture can take. In a post on X, Mittal, who is also the founder of the Soshals app, attributed a recent health scare that led to his hospitalisation to poor lifestyle choices.

"This is me after pulling all-nighters, sleeping for less than 5-6 hours, and no diet plan," he wrote.

"Hustle culture comes with a cost—some you incur right away and some over decades. The choice is yours; I'm just here to show you the ugly side of it so you don't get swayed easily," Mittal added, sharing a photograph of himself in a hospital bed.

Hustle culture comes with a cost — some you incur right away and some over decades.

Choice is yours, I'm just here to show you the ugly side of it so you don't get swayed easy.

This is me after pulling all-nighters, sleeping for <5-6 hours, and no diet plan: pic.twitter.com/NcksKnwr7h

— Kritarth Mittal | Soshals (@kritarthmittal) September 2, 2024

Netizens reaction

Since being shared, Mittal's post has garnered over 100,000 views and more than 500 likes. Many people, including fellow entrepreneurs, resonated with Mittal's message and shared their opinions on the growing hustle culture.

"Get well soon Kritarth! Lately I've learnt it too, as much as hustle is important- same goes for personal health and family time too :) I've strictly spared a few 2-3 hours dedicated to personal care and family time- these can't be traded off for anything :),' a user wrote.

In response, Mittal wrote, "I am planning to do the same now. I started hitting the gym and religiously followed a routine for ~3 months but then went back to square one. Hoping to get back in shape and be a little more disciplined again."

But I love what I do. Work is not the problem. Not able to mitigate the other aspects and also take care of my health at the same time is.

— Kritarth Mittal | Soshals (@kritarthmittal) September 2, 2024

I don't think 12 hours of work is too bad if you're able to compensate it with a regular work-out and a good diet (I hope 8 hours of sleep is also included in this routine).

I have struggled to maintain a healthy routine, diet or sleep cycle. Hence, constant body pain, dark…

— Kritarth Mittal | Soshals (@kritarthmittal) September 2, 2024

I have a diet plan and I've tried to set up a sleep cycle, I just am ridiculously bad at following a routine. When I'm working, I lose track of time and then everything after that gets disrupted in order.

— Kritarth Mittal | Soshals (@kritarthmittal) September 2, 2024

"All bodies are not equal. You need to understand the signals your body is giving and take it slowly. I had to go through the same. I stopped responding to the after 10 PM and early morning phone calls," another suggested.